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“I see,” Dax drawled, his voice toneless with a dark edge. “What else did he have to say?”
“Nothing, really.” I chewed my forkful of food. “He complimented the ring, and called you a lucky man. That’s pretty much it.”
Dax’s eyelids lowered. “He didn’t try to talk you out of marrying me?”
“No.”
He hummed. “That’s more than I can say for your father.”
I almost dropped my cutlery. “He called you?”
“We knew he likely would,” Dax reminded me. “He turned up at my office to see me, but I wasn’t there. So he settled for speaking to me over the phone.”
I winced. “Let me guess. He asked what was your price for walking out of my life?”
Dax dipped his chin. “It was a test to see if I had a hidden agenda.”
“What did you tell him?”
“The same thing I told your brother when I found him waiting outside the villa earlier.”
“Oh, God,” I muttered, flicking my gaze up to the ceiling.
“I made it clear that you’d be safe with me and that I wanted nothing from your family.” Dax cut into his steak again. “It didn’t placate them much, however. I made it clear that there wasn’t a thing they could do or say to make me call off the wedding. They didn’t like that.”
“I’ll bet.”
“I was originally going to suggest that we gather both our families together prior to the wedding so they could all get well-acquainted. You’ve met all members of mine, but my parents haven’t met your siblings, and I’ve never spoken with your youngest sister. It would have been good to get such introductions out of the way. But there’s a chance it wouldn’t go smoothly.”
I nodded. “Those from both our families who don’t support what we’re doing could either band together and give us shit, or arguments might start between those who are behind us and those who aren’t.” I was pretty sure that if Blake started complaining, my sisters would butt in and tell him to get a handle on his issues. Likewise, if my dad and Ollie began whining, it could set off Dax’s siblings.
“My thoughts exactly. So I say we scrap that idea. Our parents know each other well enough anyway.”
True. Dax and his parents had actually attended Vienna and Dane’s wedding reception, though Dax had been a toddler at the time so didn’t remember it.
“My baby sister, Harri, is looking forward to meeting you and your family.” More particularly Drey, but I’d keep that to myself.
I grabbed my glass and tipped it back, letting the red wine slide down my throat. Hmm, not bad. I lowered the glass … and realized that Dax’s gaze was locked on me with lethal focus. “What? You’re staring.”
He gave an unrepentant shrug. “I like to look at you.”
I snorted. “You like to unnerve people, so you sometimes stare at them until they get so uncomfortable they look away.”
“You don’t look away. Never did. You were always frustratingly difficult to ruffle.” It was an amused statement, not a complaint.
“Why bother trying to ruffle anyone?” I tilted my head. “Let me guess, you do it your employees to keep them on their toes.”
He pursed his lips. “I find it makes them more productive.”
I’d imagine it did.
“The only time I could really keep you off-balance was when we were in bed.” A dark heat crept into his gaze that made my stomach twist. “Do you still have that navel piercing?”
I flexed my grip on my fork. “Maybe.” I remembered how much he’d liked it, traced it, licked around it. I had the feelinghewas recalling that as well.
“You used to have a little hip chain that you hooked on the piercing.” His eyes went hooded. “Just looking at it made me want to bury my cock in you.”
My thighs clenched. Well, since we weren’t actually going to end up in bed, I needed to get this conversation onto a playful track. “Stop with the smolder. My hormones can only take so much, and I don’t want my hand aching from too much self-love.”
